


Getting Better

by buleemozar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkwardness, Child Abuse, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Lance (Voltron), High School, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Only implied though - Freeform, Past Child Abuse, Tutoring, lance's dad is a POS, shiro is a basketball coach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-06-23 19:57:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19708345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buleemozar/pseuds/buleemozar
Summary: Keith can't get the image of his co-captain crying on the locker room floor out of his head and he's going to make sure Lance is never alone like that again.---Basically it's a basketball au with a side of Lance slowly recovering with the love and support of the broganes.





	1. So you admit we had a bonding moment?!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [forgottenwebkinz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgottenwebkinz/gifts).



It was all too much.

“Hey, hey you’re okay.” A hand was on his shoulder and he could feel another one gently in his hair. “Shh, shh… it’s okay, Lance. I need you to breathe for me okay.”

_ Breathe? How did they expect me to breathe right now?  _ Lance’s breaths got louder in his ears and the voice next to him became muffled. Lance felt someone grabbing onto his hand and latched onto it as hard as he could. “I’m so-,” Lance gulped, “I’m sorry. I just, I just-”

“You’re okay, Lance. Don’t worry about it.” Lance jumped when the door opened.  _ Please don’t be the team! They can’t see me like this. _

“Oh god, oh god.” He squeezed the hand harder, trying to calm down.

“Keith? Is that Lance?”  _ Oh god, is that coach? Is this keith?” _

“Kashi! Thank god, you’ve always been better at this than me. I think he’s having a panic attack.”

“Okay, okay. Lance, can you open your eyes for me?” Lance slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the harsh fluorescent lights. Coach Shirogane was kneeling in front of him while Keith sat next to him, tightly holding Lance’s hand.  _ So it was Keith.  _

“Shit, I’m sorry Coach. I’ll be back out in a-- in a minute. I’m just-” His breathing hitched again.  _ Why did this have to happen today? _

“It’s fine, Lance, no need to apologize. Can you do me a favor and name five things you can see?” The question seemed vaguely familiar, maybe something he’d read about.

_ See, what can I see?  _ “Okay, um, I can see the showers.” Lance tried to take a deep breath, a weak attempt to strengthen his voice. “I can see you and Keith. Sh-shit, how many is that?”

“That’s three. It’s okay, Lance, go as slowly as you need to. Patience yields focus.” Lance couldn’t count the amount of times he had heard those three words.

_ Patience yields focus, Patience yields focus.  _ “I can see the door and the sinks.”

“Okay, now find four things you can touch.”

Lance took a deep breath, trying to focus. “Keith’s ha-uh, Keith’s hand.” The hand holding his tightened at his words. “I can feel the floor and, um, the lockers. Water from the showers.”

“Good job, Lance. That’s it, take deep breaths for me and say three things you can hear.” Shiro’s voice and expression were soothing to Lance.  _ How is he so calm? _

“Okay.” Lance’s breathing was starting to become bearable.  _ I can do this.  _ “I can hear the team out on the court, running drills.” Coach seemed surprised he could hear the faint pounding on the court. “I can your voice and my breathing.”

“We’re almost done, just a few more okay?” Lance nodded, his heart rate slowing going down. “Tell me two things you can smell.”

“Smell. I can smell the sweat. Sweat and… vanilla?” Keith blushed. Coach glanced at him before returning to Lance’s gaze.

“Keith’s obsessed with vanilla so that’s probably him.”  _ How would Coach know that?  _ “One last thing, can you tell me one thing you can taste?”

Lance tried to focus on his mouth. It was bitter, almost like- “Blood. I can taste blood. I probably bit my lip again.” If Coach Shiro was alarmed he didn’t show it.

“Good. Now I want you to take five deep breaths.” At this, Keith seemed to come back to earth.

“Here you go, Lance, I’ll do it with you.” Keith put Lance’s hand over his chest. “In… and out.” Lance focused on the rise and fall of Keith’s chest. Keith kept his gaze and Lance finally felt himself fully calming down. 

Lance took one final breath before uncurling himself from the corner he’d been in. “I think I’m okay now.” He tried to stand but stumbled slightly, Keith steadying him.  _ Shit. is it weird that I’m still holding his hand? _

“Lance, I think you should go home and get some rest. I’ll run the rest of practice.” Keith said. 

Coach Shiro nodded at that. “Did you drive to school today, Lance?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah but I let my sister take it home. I’ll just walk, it’s not far.” Coach frowned and turned to Keith. 

“I would prefer if you didn’t. Keith,” Keith looked away from Lance, “why don’t you give him a ride? You can take my car and I’ll just drive red home today.”  _ Home?  _

Keith nodded but still looked worried. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to have both captains leave? Don’t want us to look like a bad example for the team.”

_ Oh, fuck. How much of practice did I miss? I was supposed to be running shooting drills today.  _

“It’s fine, Keith. I’ll just tell the team that you guys are working on new plays. I’m your coach, no one is going to question it.”

Keith seemed to accept that response. “Alright, Takashi, I guess I’ll see you tonight them?”  _ What the hell? Do they live together?  _

“Um, what are you guys talking about?” Keith’s eyes widened, as if he’d forgotten Lance was standing next to him. Coach also looked slightly alarmed and struggled to answer. 

Surprising, it was Keith who broke the silence. “Coach Shiro is my brother… Kind of.”  _ What? They don’t even look like each other.  _ “Come on, let’s go before someone else walks in.”

Lance nodded, still fairly taken aback and allowed Keith to pull him out of the room. They walked over to the faculty parking lot until they were facing a large black truck. 

\---

They’d been sitting in silence for about a minute now. Keith sighed, “Do you want to talk about it?”

_ Hell fucking no.  _ “Not really.”

“Can you at least tell me what triggered it? So you and I can keep it out of practice.”

“No.” Lance’s voice came out surprisingly more harsh than he intended. He’d just been trying to say no but the whole situation was making him clam up. 

Keith was quiet. “I get them too, you know. That’s why ka-Coach Shiro knows what to do.” That explained why the two hadn’t lost their shit earlier. “So I get it and you don’t need to be embarrassed.”

Lance snorted. “I’m pretty sure this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had that’s not about basketball.” Keith chuckled, his ponytail shaking slightly. 

“Well we had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms.” Lance laughed.

“A bonding moment? What does that even  _ mean,  _ mullet?” Keith joined in with a slight blush. 

“You know, we like, bonded.” Lance’s laughs were so loud that his eyes started to water. “Oh shut up, Mcclain, you know what I meant.”

“So we’re back to Mcclain are we? But I thought we had a bonding moment!”

“Okay, okay,” Keith shoved Lance’s arm lightly. “Are you going to tell me where I’m going or would you rather hang out in my car all day?”

Lance’s posture stiffened but he hid it well with a smirk. “Actually I’m pretty comfy right where I am. Throw in some snacks and wifi and I could move in.” Keith’s eyes rolled his eyes, not pushing the subject. 

“Guess we’ll just have to go to my place then. Can’t have you moving into Shiro’s car, he’d never give me my bike back.” Lance could vaguely conjure an image of Keith pulling up to school on a shiny, red motorcycle. 

Keith pulled out into the road, glancing at Lance as he did so. It was uncomfortably silent when Lance cleared his throat.

“So Coach Shiro is your brother?” Keith’s eyes remained fixed on the road but a little sigh slipped out of his lips. “I mean, it’s not like it’s a bad thing. I know you earned your place as captain.” 

Keith seemed to shake himself out of whatever he was thinking. “Sorry, yeah. Shiro’s my brother. It’s kind of a long story but yeah I live with him. I mean, technically I think he’s my dad but that’s weird to say or think about but-”

“Woah, woah, woah, your  _ Dad? _ Isn’t he like twenty-four?” Lance’s a;ready tired brain was struggling to keep up. Keith just needed to take a step back and start from the beginning. “Do you want to slow down for a minute?” Lance grabbed his shoulder but immediately flinched away at how intensely Keith jumped. “Hey man, it’s just me.”

“Sorry,” Keith visibly deflated, “I just get stressed explaining my situation to people. I’m not big on pity.” 

A loud, ugly snort came out of Lance’s mouth. “You literally just held me for,” he glanced at the dash, “twenty minutes while I had a fucking panic attack. I believe we are beyond pity.”

“So you admit we had a bonding moment?!” Keith’s smile was slowly curving back onto his face.

“I mean maybe not a  _ moment _ but yeah.”  _ There we go. _ Keith’s chapped lips were turned into the slightly carefree expression Lance had only been gifted to see a few short times: When they had won state last year, while talking to Coach, a time or two during practice.

Lance’s chest swelled with pride because  _ he  _ was the one who created that expression. Not sports, not his brother, but good ol’ Lancy-Lance. “Have I leveled but the friendship enough to unlock the backstory T-M?” 

“Okay, first of all, did you just say the letters T and M out loud?” 

Lance flushed slightly. “Yes, yes I did.” Keith grinned at that.

“Dork. And, um, sure I guess. We’re almost to my place and we can talk there.”  _ Oh yeah. _ Lance had practically forgotten they were going to Keith’s but now that he was paying attention it was painfully obvious that they were pulling up to an apartment building. It was a very nice building for a 17 year old high school student and a 24 year old. 

“You guys live here? Isn’t this a really nice area?” Lance followed Keith out of the car.

Keith shrugged. “Takashi used to play basketball professionally until his amputation a few years ago.”

“Shit, really?” Saying that Lance was surprised would be a complete understatement. 

“Yeah and Adam does pretty well for himself too.”  _ Adam? _

“And Adam is?” Lance tried to keep his curiosity under wraps and not like he was dying to know every detail of his life.

“Shiro’s husband?” Keith was staring at him like he was an idiot. “Lance you’ve literally met him before.”

“Wait, Shiro likes guys? I thought that was his friend or something at the championship last year.” Lance was reeling. He couldn’t believe that the man he’d looked up to for just under two years was in a public relationship with a man. Lance had never had an adult figure in his life be okay with that.  _ Maybe Shiro can help me with- _

“You got a problem with that? Because I don’t associate with homophobic assholes.” Lance pulled himself out of his train of thought to look at a very pissed off Keith.

“NO! I’m-”  _ don’t tell anyone else, _ “fully supportive of the LGBT community. I was just thinking about how I’d never noticed.” Keith still looked apprehensive. “Really, Keith, I am one hundred percent okay with him liking guys. It just took me by surprise.”

Keith started walking up the stairs. “That’s good because I thought we were about to have a problem.” He turned to look at me. “You coming or are you just planning on camping out on the stairwell?” 

Lance smiled, only slightly forcing it. “Are you kidding? I would never miss out on an opportunity to find out more about the mysterious Keith Kogane.”


	2. I have a blackbelt, put me down so I can beat your grandpa ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance stays for dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed this up on the train and the hot guy next to me kept trying to sneakily read it. Good luck reading my gay fanfic, buddy lmaoooo

The entire house smelled faintly like vanilla.  _ Keith’s favorite scent. _ The apartment looked so…  _ warm  _ and inviting. Lance could tell this was what a home was supposed to feel like. He clammed up immediately.  _ I need to go. _

“Keith, you’re home early,” a deep voice said as they walked into the main room. “Where’s Takashi?” Keith threw himself onto the couch, motioning for Lance to join him. 

“Lance wasn’t feeling great so he let us leave practice early. He’s still there running the rest of it.” Lance gently sat down on the couch, making sure to only touch what was necessary. A dark-skinned man walked out of the kitchen and sat in an armchair. He looked vaguely familiar, once again ensuring Lance that he was supposed to know who this is. 

“Are you feeling better, Lance?” Adam’s sturdy and calm voice asked. 

“Yes, sir, I’m pretty sure it’s passed.”  _ No it hasn’t, I’ve just got it back under control.  _ Keith quietly scoffed from next to Lance, while Adam chuckled from across him.

“Please just call me Adam. Sir makes me feel like I’m working, which I’m not.”  _ Oh. _ Lance always felt uncomfortable calling adults in positions of authority by their first name. It showed a closeness to them that Lance tried to avoid at all costs. 

“Or you could call him annoying, that’s what I do.” Lance smiled.  _ Who knew that Keith had a sense of humor? _ All Lance had seen of him before was annoyance and eventually an understanding that they worked well together.

“Keith, need I remind you that I control your AP physics grade.”  _ Keith takes AP Physics? Hot Damn. _

Lance laughed, leaning back into the couch. “Oh shit, shots fired.” Keith laughed with him, sitting up so he mirrored Lance’s position. 

“C’mon Adam, we both know you wouldn’t fail your best student. I’m the only one who actually passes your tests.” Lance’s eyebrow raised slightly, surprised that Keith was passing that class, let alone top of it.

“I didn’t know you liked Physics?”

Adam snorted. “Like? He’s obsessed with it. Takashi got him into it a couple years ago.” Keith perked slightly at the mention of Keith’s mysterious past. 

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of me being a closet nerd.” Keith abruptly stood and grabbed Lance’s arm. “C’mon Lance, let’s go to my room before Adam exposes me any more.”

Lance struggled against Keith jokingly as he pulled him down the hall. “Maybe I want to hear you get exposed. Adam! Do you have any pictures?”

Keith’s room was clean but disorganized. The bedside table crowded with pictures of him and Coach Shiro, basketball games, and a young Keith with a man in a firefighter uniform. The bed was haphazardly made, the clothes weren’t folded in his closet and his desk was covered in his papers. It looked so…  _ Keith _ .

“You can sit down, you know. I don’t bite.” Keith patted the bed next to him. Lance cautiously sat down, avoiding Keith’s sprawling limbs. “Lance, seriously, make yourself comfortable. You look like me at a school dance right now.”

“Sorry!” Lance said, pulling himself on more until he was right next to Keith. “So how long have you lived with Shiro?”

Keith straightened his back and cleared his throat. “A little under five years but he adopted me three years ago. He found me while scouting basketball players at my group home,” Keith pointed cleared his throat. “I, um, stole his car and he bailed me out of juvie.”

Lance’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry, what the fuck, Keith.” Keith laughed at his surprise. “ You stole a car when you were twelve?”

“Basically the woman over the group home told him I wasn’t worth recruiting because I was a ‘bad kid’. I was mad so I decided to give her the biggest finger I could think of.” Lance was reeling at the thought of twelve year old Keith was capable of grand theft auto. It was pretty messed up that he was robbed of a great opportunity over some prejudice old lady though. Keith started speaking again. “This kid, Rolo, was like sixteen and just coming out of juvie. He taught me how to hotwire cars. Let’s just say I wasn’t the best kid after my dad died.” He coughed awkwardly and shifted his eyes from Lance. 

Lance put his hand on Keith’s arm. “Were you guys close?” Keith cleared his throat again, blinking furiously. 

“Yeah I never had a mom so it was always just him and I. He was a fireman that died,” Lance had never heard Keith’s voice so shaky, “that died saving a little girl. He never could leave someone behind.”

Any resolve that Lance had to give Keith his space was gone at the little crack in his voice. He ran his hand over Keith’s back in what was hopefully a comforting way.

“Hey, man, I’m sorry for pushing. And you’re not a bad kid, Mullet, I’m sure your dad would be proud of you. Shiro definitely is.”

“Thanks Lance,” he smiled slightly at the Cuban. “But that’s mostly that. Shiro fostered me. I have no idea how he got approved for that at twenty but he took me in and taught me how to play himself.” Lance was struggling to comprehend all the information he had just been given. So Shiro literally has full custody of Keith, the only family the boy had. 

There was a pang in Lance’s chest. Keith didn’t just have a guardian, he had a family and that was something Lance hadn’t had in a while.  _ Leave. _

“Anyways, now that you’ve gone and made me talk about my feelings let’s go eat.” Keith stood with Lance right behind him, following him back out towards the kitchen. 

“ADAM?!” Lance’s entire body shot two feet into the air when the dark haired boy yelled. “What’s for dinner?”

“Bold of you to assume I cooked dinner, Keith.” Adam was gracefully sitting on an armchair, reading a book on flight patterns.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Well someone cooked and it sure as hell wasn’t us, therefore it was you.”

“I’m hurt you forgot about me!” Shiro walked into the living room wearing the brightest pink apron that read the cliche “kiss the cook”. Keith chuckled and casually hugged Shiro. Lance wondered how long it had been since his own dad had hugged him. 

“Sorry, guess I didn’t realize you’d be home already. And honestly I was hoping that Adam cooked because he’s better at it.” Shiro playfully shoved Keith away from him with an eye roll. 

“Remind me, dear, why do we keep this little shit around again?” Adam didn’t even look up from his book.  _ This must be normal conversation.  _

“Because you love him more than he loves motorcycles and pancakes.”

Shiro laughed, “nah, that’s not it.” He rammed into Keith and gently threw him over his shoulder. Keith yelled, laughter cutting through it. 

“Takashi! Put me down, I’m not a child. I have a blackbelt, put me down so I can beat your grandpa ass.” Keith struggled as Lance quietly laughed, pulling out his phone to record this.  _ Future blackmail material. _ Hoping it was okay, Lance sat down next to Adam. “Adam! Contain your husband.”

“I find this more entertaining, honestly.” Adam’s book was long forgotten on the table next to them, his full attention on the people in front of him. Lance’s heart dropped, wishing he could have this.  _ Maybe you could have if you hadn’t gone and fucked it all up.  _ Lance needed to leave. 

“Hey, um, coach, not to ruin your moment or whatever but it’s getting late and I don’t want to intrude. Just, ah, Keith is kinda my ride.” Shiro whipped around, Keith laying limp over his shoulder. 

“Oh. You’re not staying for dinner?” Lance hesitated.  _ They want me to stay for dinner? Isn’t it their personal time? Is this normal?  _ Lance shook his head.  _ They’re just being polite, they don’t want me here.  _

“You’re staying, Mcclain. I refuse to give you a ride until there is food in my system.” Keith’s voice was light, happy, and very stern. Lance really, really, really wanted to leave. Leave the warmth, the family photos, and the love. He needed to get out of this fantasy.

“Okay, but then I really need to go. My parents are probably wondering where I am.”  _ No they aren’t.  _

“I can call one of them if you want? Say we invited you over for dinner.” Panic bubbled up in Lance’s chest at Shiro’s innocent offer.

“No!”  _ Too loud.  _ Lance cleared his throat. “No, I can text my mom if it takes too long.” Shiro dropped Keith and turned back to the stove.

“Okay, if you think it’ll be alright. The food is almost ready if you guys are hungry.” Keith straightened out, brushing himself off, then flopping onto the couch.

“I literally just said I was hungry, dipshit.” Lance’s eyes widened.

“Don’t be a smartass, kid.” Adam’s words were something Lance heard quite often, just usually not in that…  _ tone. _

“Language!” Shiro sounded like an offended housewife as he served them. As they ate, Lance realized his mama might not be the best cook he’d ever met.

\---

“Come on, Sharpshooter, let’s get you home.” Keith pushed down the top of Lance’s head slightly while walking towards the door. He was flipping his keys around his finger, whistling haphazardly. Lance stood from the stool, following after Keith. 

“Thank you for dinner, Coach.” Lance called, awkwardly looking back. “And everything else. I appreciate it.” And with that the two boys left.

Adam wiped off the counter before joining Shiro on the couch. They laid there, Adam’s back to Shiro’s chest.

“Is he okay?” Adam didn’t even need to say who they were talking about. 

“I have no idea, love, honestly no idea.” Their voices were calm and quiet, the room silent. 

“Did you notice how he ate? How stiff he was while we were talking?”

Shiro sighed, the long kind brought on by pure exhaustion, and rested his chin on Adam’s shoulder.

“I’ve never seen him act like this before. He’s usually so bubbly and intense.” Shiro could hardly believe this was the same kid who was captain of the basketball and track teams. The fun student body president that everyone loved. The energy he showed today was so… different.

“I’ve only just met him but he trusts you, Takashi. Make sure to look out for him.” Adam was a fiercely loyal person and protective person which was one of Shiro’s favorite traits about him. 

“He had a panic attack today, at practice.” Adam sat up, turning to look in his husband’s eyes. There wasn’t any panic in them, simply concern. They’d both seen their fair share of panic, whether it be Shiro at two am or Keith on his worse days.

“Did he tell you why?” Shiro thought back, trying to remember what had triggered it. Practice had seemed normal enough, even when Lance excused himself to use the restroom. Nothing had seemed wrong until Keith went to go check up on Lance. When another five minutes had passed without either of them returning, Shiro set the team running drills and went looking for them. 

“No,” Shiro replied. “Maybe he talked to Keith, I don’t know.” Shiro sighed again. 

“We just need to be there for him then. Our home needs to stay a safe space for him.” Shiro smiled gently.  _ How did he end up with such a perfect man?  _ Adam always had a plan.

“Of course love, I wouldn’t want anything else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment or kudos if you like!


	3. Can’t or won’t, little brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated for a few days. I've been cramming for the ACT all week and it sucks lmao

The car was silent other than Keith’s music softly playing through the speakers. Not wanting to disturb the calm environment, Lance kept his voice soft with the directions to the Mcclain household. Lance felt no urge to get home but he knew he’d pushed the day enough for his father. 

Keith started to hum as the song changed.  _ Of course he’s an indie fan. _

“It’s the last house on the right.” Lance’s family home was very nice. The lawn well cared for and painstakingly gardened, still green despite the fact that it was nearing the end of December. Lance’s house radiated warmth and wealth to Keith. Keith knew that Lance came from a big family, hell, his twin sister Veronica was one of the smartest girls in the school.

Keith was struggling to understand why Lance was so hesitant to go home earlier. He had almost been expecting some rundown rambler, not built to hold all the members of their family since Lance always insisting they do team activities in other places. Instead, he was pulled in front of the picture perfect suburban household. There was a pang in Keith’s heart. Even though he loved Takashi and Adam, this was the kind of life he would never have. Coming home to his mother and father, surrounded by the love and support of this big family. 

Lance cleared his throat, pulling Keith out of his thoughts. “I guess this is my stop. Thanks for helping me out today.” Lance was struggling to hold eye contact with his co-captain. 

Keith smiled, hesitantly. “Yeah, man. You can always talk to me if it happens again. You have my number, use it.”

Lance looked up again, meeting Keith’s eyes. “Alright I will. See you around, Mullet.” and then Lance was out of the car, strolling up the driveway to the front door. Keith waited until Lance had unlocked the door and disappeared behind it. Satisfied that Lance was safely home, Keith silently drove home, thoughts ruled by the blue-eyed boy. 

\---

Lance’s worry grew as he opened the door. The house was quiet and quiet was usually a bad thing. Quiet meant that nobody was around, no one to hold back in front of. 

“So were you going to tell anyone why you were late or just sneak in and hope none of us noticed you’ve been gone all night?” 

Lance froze.  _ Shit.  _ Lance took a deep breath and walked into the dining room, coming face-to-face with Raphael Mcclain, calmly sitting with a cup of tea. “I’m sorry Sir. I was kept late at practice and then invited to dinner at my Coach’s house.”

“Bullshit.” Lance flinched. “Why wouldn’t you have informed me or your mother in advance if you were invited anywhere?” 

“Honestly? Because I didn’t know about it until the practice was already over and my phone died.” That part was an actual lie. “I didn’t have any way of telling you but it’s rude to turn down an offer like that from my coach.” Lance hoped his father would at least understand that part. He was always going on and on about respect and obedience for authority figures. 

“Never do that again.” Raphael’s voice was scarily calm as he stood from his chair. “I don’t want you around that coach any more than you already are. We allow you to be there because basketball is a respectable use of your time but-”

“Coach Shiro hasn’t done anything wrong!” Lance could handle a lecture but he couldn’t stand here and listen to the man he looks up to getting attacked.

Lance barely reacted to the hard slap across his face. It was nothing new. “That man,” his father’s voice was becoming less controlled, “is a homosexual. He should not be allowed to teach, let alone coach a men’s basketball team. I never, and I mean  _ never _ , want to find out that you’ve been talking to him more than necessary.” Lance’s eyes started watering slightly, if from the tone or the slap he wasn’t sure. Raphael grabbed his chin, forcing his eyes up. “Am I understood, Lance?”

“Understood, sir.”

“Good. Now go clean yourself up before your poor mother has to see you like this.” Lance dropped his gaze back down and hurried up the stairs.

Once safely on the landing, Lance headed to his bathroom to splash some cold water on his cheek. His hands were only shaking slightly as he applied his nightly cleanser. Lance closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as much as he could. Lance was fine. He wasn’t going to get hurt anymore.  _ At least not tonight. _ Soon his mama would be home with the rest of his loud family. Soon Veronica would be here, with a cup of tea and the best back scratches ever, humming until he fell asleep. 

He’ll be able to go to school in the morning and see Hunk and Pidge and possibly Keith.  _ No. _ Lance knew that his father’s threat wasn’t an empty one. Keith and Shiro  _ had _ to be nothing more than his coach and co-captain. 

If not fear for himself than fear for the team. His father would pull him from the team in a heartbeat if he thought it would make him more “normal”. Hell, the only reason that the disgraced son of the Mcclain household was allowed to play was in hopes that it would “push the abomination out of him.” 

Lance finished up the mindless task of his skin routine and shuffled into the dark room. He was exhausted. School, practice, one of the biggest panic attacks he’d had in a while, not to mention the dinner and his father were all starting to have their effect on him. 

Pulling off his shirt, Lance flopped onto his bed. The more he thought about it, the more lucky he realized he’d been. He’d gotten off easy tonight considering he hadn’t told anyone where he was or who he was with. While his father had calmed down slightly over the past year, he still had a short temper with his youngest son. 

Turning on his music, Lance closed his eyes trying to lull himself to sleep. He knew it wasn’t very likely that he could, but he thought he should at least get himself into a more peaceful state. 

He’d finally managed a peaceful state when the front door slammed. He could feel the thudding of his brother’s kids, running around squealing. His mama could be heard yelling at them to calm down with her thick cuban accent that made it hard for anyone outside of her family to understand her. People were shuffling up and down the stairs, going to their respective rooms to change and get settled for the night. The chaos started to calm down eventually, leaving the house in a quiet, restful state. Lance knew this meant that Veronica would make her way upstairs soon, calmly slipping into his room with a mug of his favorite tea and a warm hug. He could faintly hear the kettle whistling downstairs.

His bedroom door creaked open and his sister entered the room. Her brown hair was messily put up, matching the comfy vibe of her sweater and leggings. She was holding a steaming mug between her slender fingers which would be full of chamomile and honey. 

“Hey little brother.” She was three minutes older than him. “I brought you some tea. You ate dinner right?” Lance nodded. Shiro had been an amazing cook, no matter how much KEith joked otherwise. 

“Good, I was worried Papa wouldn’t let you.” Veronica sat down and handed him the warm mug. 

“He didn’t,” Lance replied. Vee looked at him questioningly as he took a sip. “That’s why I wasn’t home. My co-captain invited me over for dinner.”

“Coach Shirogane’s kid?”  _ Did everyone know that but me??  _ “I’m surprised you were allowed to considering his, uh,  _ family _ .” That was a delicate way to put that. 

Lance looked down. “I didn’t realize until I was already there. I wouldn’t have risked it otherwise. Papa still wasn’t pleased.” Veronica quickly scanned him with her eyes, finally noticing the redness on his face. She reached down to gently press it with her fingers. Resisting the urge to flinch away, he allowed her to examine her face. 

“Is this all?” They both knew it could have gone a lot worse.

“Yeah.” Lance put the mug down. “He must have been in a good mood today.” Dropping eye contact, Lance settled back down onto his stomach.

Instinctively, Veronica’s smooth hands began to scratch his back. Her fingers hesitated over the marks scarring his back. Lance closed his eyes, willing back the tears he knew were coming. “I hate that he did this to you. It’s not okay, Lance.”

Lance tried hard not to think about that night.  _ Papa? Can I talk to you about something? _ “I know, Vee, I know. It’s my fault though. I provoked him and he was just reacting. I’m the one who’s a faggo-”

“Stop.” He could feel her fingers balling up against his back. “You have done absolutely nothing wrong. Papa is just an old-fashioned prick.” They’d had this conversation more times than Lance cared to admit. Ever since that night Veronica had found him crying in his bathroom, back bleeding from his father’s belt. He’d only gone that far once, but once was enough.

“He’s just reacting the only way he knows how, Vee. I don’t, I  _ can’t  _ blame him for that.” She resumed scratching his back. 

“Can’t or won’t, little brother.” Lance took a deep breath, hoping she’d take the hint and drop it. Luckily, she seemed to understand his plea. She turned his music off and start to hum the old Spanish lullabies of their childhood. The ones his mother used to sing to him when he couldn’t sleep. Eventually, Lance started to drift off with his sister’s voice playing in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lave a comment or a kudos if you want!


	4. God, no. I’m a big believer in ignoring a problem until it goes away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooof I'm so sorry I disappeared for a fat minute there. Work was crazy, life was crazy, I was distracted. I promise my updates will be MUCH more frequent now. Thanks for sticking with my lmfao

Something was wrong. Keith knew that yesterday wasn’t going to completely change his friendship with Lance, but he at least thought he would look at him. Instead, Lance had very clearly avoided eye contact all day, despite Keith’s best efforts to catch his attention. He’d waved when he passed a laughing Lance in the hall, cracking jokes to his two friends. Lance immediately turned towards his locker when he stopped him, ignoring the wave completely. He’d tensed in the lunchroom when Keith walked in talking to Adam, and walked out the door to eat outside, despite the freezing weather. 

Now, practice was about to start and he still hadn’t spoken a word to his co-captain. Lance, as usual, was already dressed and ready to go ten minutes early. There was no excuse for him not to talk to Keith now. In fact, Lance was walking toward him with the playbook. 

“Alright, Kogane,”  _ So we’re back to last names?  _ “I’ll do warmups and conditioning drills while you talk to Coach and run the plays he thinks we need to work on. Okay?”

“Okay, sounds good.” Lance nodded, immediately turning and walking away. 

“Hey, wait!” Keith jogged up to the Taller man, grabbing his arm. “Did I do something to piss you off?” Lance not-so-subtly ripped his arm away.

“I’m fine, Kogane, we just need to get practice started.” Keith wanted to argue but knew it would be unwise. Practice was about to start and they needed to focus. The team started piling in finally, followed closely by Shrio who was talking to Kinkade quietly. 

Keith nodded to Shiro, indicating that him and Lance had met about practice that day and they were ready to start.  _ If that even counted as a meeting. _ Shiro’s whistle blew, signalling the start of practice. 

“Alright team! Grab a ball and start out with ten laps,” Lance called out, the team following behind his brutal warm up pace. 

Keith walked over to Shiro, having already done his warm-up, with the playboard Lance had handed him under his arm. “Hey, Kashi, which plays do you want to work on today?” Shiro nodded, pulling out the small notebook he always had on his person. 

“You guys were a little weak with Voltron and Atlas yesterday so let’s have you go over those again. You jump on point and Lance on center. You two are the strongest examples we have.” Shiro’s voice trailed off when Keith looked away. “What’s up kiddo, I lost you for a minute there?”

Keith scoffed, “I’m not the distant one.” Shiro lowered his notebook, giving Keith his full attention. “Lance is just being weird today, it’s no big deal.”

“He’s probably just embarrassed from yesterday or having a bad day.” Keith nodded.  _ Or he hates me. _ “Don’t let it get to you, okay?”

Keith cleared his throat, shaking himself off. “Yeah, yeah I know.”

Shiro’s face softened. He placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “Keith.” Keith was done with this conversation. 

“It’s stupid,” he shrugged out of Shiro’s grip. “I’ll get over it.” Keith set the board down and jogged over to join in the drills.  _ Drills are easy, I can do drills.  _ It’s simple, mindless, exercise and something Keith is ready to throw himself into wholeheartedly.

\---

An hour later and Keith’s waterbottle was slowly emptying into his mouth. He picked up the playboard from where he’d abandoned it earlier, ignoring the sweat pouring down his brow. 

“Alright, guys!” He clapped his hand against the hard plastic. “Coach wants us to work on some plays. We’ll start with Voltron. Mcclain,” if Lance was using last names so could he, “you’re center, I’ll be point. Other starters will fill in around us.” His teammates nodding in understanding while Kinkade, Griffin, and Garrett filed onto the court.

Keith quickly ran over the play on the board and then grabbed a ball. They started going over it, with Shiro occasionally stopping them to correct their form. Just as Keith started pulling in different players, the whistle blew.

“Change of plans, team!” Keith picked up the ball, turning to look at Coach.  _ Oh God, what is he doing?  _ “We’re going to do some partner drills. There seems to be some,” he glanced at Lance, “tension among the team. We can’t have that if we want to be effective.”  _ I’m going to fucking kill you, Takashi.  _ The team grumbled a little but seemed overall willing to do more drills. Lance was pointedly staring at the ground.  _ Good, this is your fault.  _ “Mcclain and Kogane, pair up and be an example for the rest of the team.”  _ Real subtle. _

Lance wearily walked over to Keith. The rest of the team slowly paired up as well until there was six pairs around the gym.

Shiro blew his whistle again. “Okay, you’re going to be doing passing drills but I want you guys to take advantage of this time to get to know your teammates. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I want to hear you guys chatting.” He started throwing a ball at every pair. Lance easily caught theirs and backed about ten feet away from Keith.

“Let’s just do chest passes,” Lance was looking about six inches down from his eyes, refusing to make eye contact still. “Did you tell Coach Shiro to do this?”

Keith caught the pass smoothing, his years of training kicking in.  _ Does Lance really think that I’d publically humiliate him like that?  _ “God, no. I’m a big believer in ignoring a problem until it goes away.” Lance snorted and Keith swore he could hear a mumbled same under his breath. 

“Okay, sharpshooter, my turn. Why won’t you look at me?” Keith threw him the ball. Hard.  _ Good thing muscle memory exists. _ Lance looked incredibly uncomfortable. 

“Not sure what you’re talking about.” Keith scoffed.

“Fine, don’t tell me. But don’t lie about it.”

Lance’s face hardened. “Why do you even care, Kogane? It’s not like you’re a close, personal friend of mine.” The ball hit Keith’s chest, him catching it a second too late to be comfortable. 

Keith’s eyes filled with hurt. “I kinda thought we were getting there but I guess not. I’ll try harder to not misinterpret you again.” The ball left Keith’s hands so fast you’d think it was burning him. “I’m done here Mcclain, you can finish practice by yourself.” And with that, Keith was gone, having stormed off into the locker rooms. 

_ Stupid Keith, one day doesn’t change anything.  _ Keith was figuring that out, painful and slow. He didn’t know why it mattered so much to him. It never did before. Keith shook it off and quickly changed into his street clothes. Normally he would shower but he didn’t want to give Shiro a chance to stop. Keith already knew that he would get chewed out at home but he wanted to delay it until he’d cooled down. Grabbing his bag, Keith walked out the side exit of the school. 

Jumping onto Red, the best present he’d ever received, Keith sped off towards home. He didn’t see the wet, dark blue eyes watching him from the door. 

\---

“Keith Akira Kogane! Ass in here now and explain why you walked out of my practice.” Keith winced. Shiro wasn’t yelling but the calmness was almost scarier.

Keith slipped off his bed and slinked out toward the main room. Adam, who was reading, sat confused looking between his upset partner and guilty looking son. “Love? What happened?” Shiro sat down next to Adam, motioning for Keith to sit in the chair across from them. 

“Why don’t you ask your son? He’s the one who walked out of practice and blatantly ignored me.” Keith sat down, eyes focused on his socks. 

This seemed to catch Adam’s attention. “Keith, why’d you do that?” Keith opened his mouth then shut it again.  _ Why defend myself? I know I’m in the wrong here.  _ “Hey, buddy, can you look at me?” Adam’s voice was so calm that Keith looked up, meeting his eyes. “What’s going on? I need you to talk to us bud.”

So Keith told them. About how worried he’d been since yesterday. About how he thought that maybe Lance and him were becoming friends until he was ignored all day. He talked about how when he’d finally gotten the other boy to talk to him, Lance had clearly and coldly told him he didn’t want to talk or be his friend. 

“And I know it’s stupid but it kinda hurt and I needed to get out of there before I cried or punched something.” Takashi’s anger had diminished into concern as Keith spoke. “I’m sorry for leaving, I know it was disrespectful but I was just  _ so  _ upset over nothing and I didn’t want Lance to see.”

“Hey, it’s okay Keith.” Shiro reached out and put a hand on Keith’s shoulder. The boy flinched away, making Shiro’s heart break. “Hey, bud, it’s just me okay. You’re safe, it’s just me and Adam.”

Keith’s shoulders loosened, allowing the hand to make contact. “I know, god I know. I’m sorry.” Keith sighed, leaning his head into his hands. Adam and Shiro looked at each other. They’d worked so hard to make Keith feel safe and comfortable but sometimes that was impossible. Whenever he’s upset he falls back into old habits. Shiro’s heart yearned to protect Keith, but there wasn’t much that him and Adam could do to erase the years of pain. 

Keith released another deep breath, leaning back onto the couch. “I hate that that happens. I know you weren’t going to hurt me. I trust you guys so much and I know it upsets you when I’m like this.”

Adam calmly smiled. “It doesn’t upset us. We know you trust us son, we know. Healing takes a long time, you can’t always control this. 

“I just wish I could be normal.” Keith’s voice broke and he let out a small sob that he was poorly trying to disguise. 

“You’re okay Keith. You are so so amazing and you’re doing so great.” Shiro scratched his back gently as Keith calmed down. 

“We love you no matter what, bud, no matter what.”

They sat there for a long time, Shiro having thrown on Keith’s favorite movie until the boy eventually dozed off. Shiro gently helped him to his room before walking back into the living room. 

“What did you say you needed to talk to me about, love?”

“I think I saw something with Lance. I’m worried about him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment or kudos if you want! They make my day <3


	5. They All Knew When to Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goddddddd I am so sorry that I vanished for so long. I genuinely didn't realize how much time had past. Please forgive me!

Lance sulked back into the gym, hoping not to catch the attention of the team. Everyone seemed pretty focused as Hunk was the only one who looked over. Sighing, Lance accepted his fate and walked over to Shiro. 

Shiro turned and looked at him as he approached. “Where’s Keith?”

Lance awkwardly coughed. “He, um, went home I think?” Shiro looked angry.  _ God, I hate disappointing people.  _ “He just got on his bike and left.”

Shiro folded his arms, trying to mask his irritation. “Do you know why?”  _ Yes.  _ Lance shrugged halfheartedly. Shiro sighed, looking Lance in the eye. “Okay, Lance, you don’t need to talk about it right now but honestly I’m worried and I expect better from you.”

Lance stared at the ground. He was no stranger to disappointing people but it still stung. Shiro set his hand on Lance’s shoulder. Lance jumped, looking up at his coach. There was confusion and concern in Shiro’s eyes instead of anger now. 

Lance needed to get out of this situation before some questions he couldn’t afford to answer got asked. Stepping out of his grasp, Lance looked at his coach. “I know sir, I’ll try to be better. I’m going to start the end of practice runs now, if that’s alright?”

Shiro nodded and Lance fled. Walking over to the team he cleared his throat and said with his most cheerful voice, “Alright guys, good work today. Fifteen ladders and then you’re good to go. I don’t want to see you cutting any corners!” And then Lance started running. He loved to run because it was so easy to lose himself in the exercise, focusing only on his breathing and the destination. In the next 10 minutes the team slowly starts trickling off to the locker room as they finished. Lance kept running, trying to push Keith’s hurt expression and faint vanilla scent out of his head. Lance liked to think he was very good at compartmentalizing but he couldn’t get his fiery co-captain to go away. The laughs and the talking eventually died down, leaving Lance alone with his thoughts. 

\---

Lance finally stopped running to pick up a ball, killing time while everyone else showered and left. Thanks to his dear old dad, Lance didn’t enjoy being exposed in front of anyone.  _ Don’t forget the big-ass scars you got from being a fag.  _ Lance worked on his shooting for another fifteen minutes before finally walking into the lockers to shower and change.

After taking a much needed wash, Lance walked over to locker. He quickly slipped his joggers over his briefs and grabbed his shirt.

“Ahem.” Lance jumped, turning around as fast as he could.  _ Oh god, how long has he been standing there. Fuck I’m not wearing a shirt.  _ “What are you still doing here, Lance? Practice has been over for like forty minutes.”

Lance hurriedly put his shirt on, needing the security it offered. “Sorry sir, I was just working on my shooting after practice. I’m usually here late.” Coach Shiro’s eyes seemed to pierce his own. Lance hadn’t technically lied but he still felt guilty. 

“You’re alright, Lance, relax. I was just finishing up some paperwork and it’s not like you aren’t allowed to be here.” Lance tried to calm down but his heart was still beating with the paranoia. 

Lance, however, was a very good actor. He spread an easygoing smile across his face. Quiet, respectful, nothing to hide. “Alright coach, I’m headed out now anyway.” Lance grabbed his bag, trying to escape the situation. 

“Lance… you know that as your coach and hopefully your mentor, you can talk to me about anything right?”

Swallowing, Lance nodded. “Sure thing coach.”

“And no matter what happened between you and Keith, I’m still here for you. So is he, Adam, and the rest of the team.” This conversation was getting uncomfortably personal for Lance. 

“That means a lot coach, but everything is okay,” Lance smiled up at his Coach.  _ Liar.  _ The face of Raphael Mcclain entered his mind, threatening him to keep talking. “I’ll let you know if that changes.”  _ No you won’t _ . His father’s threats still rung in his ears.

And with that, Lance swiftly exited into the hall, heading towards his car. His coach however, stayed where he was, pulling out his phone to text his husband. 

_ I’m worried about Lance.  _

\---

“Mijo? Is that you?” Lance shut the door behind him, slipping his shoes off. 

“Si, Mama. Practice just ended.” Walking into the kitchen, he kissed his mother on the cheek and washed his hands. “Do you need any help?”

His mother smiled, stirring whatever broth was on the stove. “You work too hard, Lance, too hard. I’m just making soup, so you go sit down with your sister. It’s just the three of us tonight.” Lance looked up, confusion in his eyes.

“Where’s papa? And Marco’s family?” His mother shooed him out of the kitchen and onto the couch of their massive living room. 

“Marco won some award from the city council and invited papa to the recognition dinner.” Veronica’s voice sounded as bored and disinterested from her spot on the couch. She was thumbing through a book larger than Lance’s future. 

“Oh, okay,” Lance flopped on the couch, thoroughly invading his sister’s personal space. “How was your day, Vee?”

“It was good, little brother. Pidge kicked ass in Decathlon practice. What about you? Have any fun throwing around a basketball?”

Lance snorted, laying down. “First of all: three minutes! You’re only three minutes older than me. Second: It was fucking terrible. I made Keith so annoyed that he walked out of practice.” Veronica set her book down and carded her fingers through his hair, an old habit of hers. 

“Maybe he was having a bad day and it wasn’t about you?”  _ Pretty un-fucking-likely. _

Lance awkwardly cleared his throat. “No, uh, I’m pretty sure it was me. I basically told him to fuck off and then ignored him.” Veronica’s fingers froze.

“Why the hell would you say that, Lance?” Lance closed his eyes, sighing loudly. He knew he’d screwed up but what else was he supposed to do. His father had explicitly told him to stay away. 

“Papa made it pretty clear he didn’t want me talking to him anymore.” Veronica’s expression soured. 

“Why does he thin-”

“Because, Veronica dear,” Lance’s mother poked her head in, making Lance slightly uncomfortable that she was listening. “That boy isn’t a good influence and we don’t think they should spend any time together.” Lance’s mood was darkening again. While he loved his mother and she never hit him, she was still very traditional and homophobic.

“It’s fine, Vee, Mama’s right. I didn’t realize the kind of company I was keeping when I started talking to him.” Lance hated himself more and more with every word that he spouted.  _ You fucking coward. _ He absolutely did not agree with what he was saying but was terrified of what his mom would say to his father. 

Vee was visibly upset at him and their mother but didn’t press the topic any more. They all knew when to stop.

“The food is ready so you two can grab whatever you want. I need to go finish sewing up Isabella’s dress for Marco, so I’m going to eat in there.” With that, she left her two youngest children alone in the room. 

Veronica dragged him to his feet, pulling him into the kitchen. “Have you eaten anything yet today?” Lance shook his head. Part of his punishment had been no breakfast this morning and he spent most of lunch avoiding Keith.

“Well then eat something, you dumbass.” Veronica’s mannerisms were always so soothing to Lance. “Now do you really want to tell me about Keith?”

“Papa doesn’t want his parents homosexuality wearing off on me. I ghosted Keith and he was upset.” Veronica nodded.

They moved the conversation to lighter topics like the fact that they were off for Thanksgiving break finally and the end of term. Finishing up their food, they laughed at the fact that their Grandmother was coming to town the next week. For the first time in a while, Lance felt at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment or kudos if you enjoyed it!


	7. Get Off My Floor Before You Ruin It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgottenwebkinz is yelling at me to go to bed, but instead I downed a monster and typed this up. She can't be too mad at me though cause she always complains that I need to update more. So here you go, bitch :).
> 
> Also TW for child abuse in case you haven't figured that out yet

The weekend rolled directly into Thanksgiving break, where all basketball practice had been cancelled. Shiro had claimed in his group text that it was so everyone could focus on their families, but Lance had a nagging feeling it was because of him. 

Lance was constantly racked with guilt, torn between apologizing or just ignoring it and hoping it didn’t affect the team too badly. He’d opened up his text thread with Keith at least three times but never sent anything.

Luckily, Lance’s attention was fully taken up by the upcoming holiday and his Grandmother coming to town. His dad had driven down to where she lived on Monday and was supposed to be back Thanksgiving morning with his mother in tow. Lance had enjoyed not having him around, his shoulders relaxing for the first time in years. 

But now he was back, and Lance’s even harsher grandmother was here too. While Lance loved her deeply, he always felt like he had to try  _ so  _ hard around her. Currently she was interrogating him about school, basketball, and his grades. Everyone was mingling around the dinner table, luckily taking most of the focus off of himself. Stumbling through his words, he tried to present the best sides of everything. 

“And basketball is going great. I’m co-captain now and we won our last game.” She hummed, disapproval evident.

“I still don’t like you playing on that team.” Lance sighed,  _ here it comes. _ “At least not with that faggot of a coach. Honestly, he shouldn’t be allowed to teach children.” Lance’s pulse quickened. Maybe it was the guilt from Keith still in his system or the tension with his grandmother but he couldn’t help it. 

“His sexuality doesn’t affect his teaching skills at all so why does it matter?” The table immediately quieted as everyone turned to look at him. Even Marco’s kids, who struggled to focus on anything, were curiously staring. “Honestly, he's the best coach I’ve ever had and one of the best basketball players in the country.” Lance could feel the harsh glares of his father and grandmother burning into him.  _ Shut. The. Hell. Up.  _ His mother was uncomfortably staring at her plate. While none of his siblings or their families knew about Lance’s  _ situation _ , they all knew their parents beliefs. Veronica put a supportive hand on Lance’s arm under the table.

“Well, Lance,” his grandma cleared her throat, “you are still young and impressionable and don’t understand such matters fully yet. Hopefully one day you’ll get it.” Raphael was silent. It was obvious that he was fuming but hiding it for the sake of the family.  _ Way to go Lance, ruining Thanksgiving dinner for everyone.  _

Veronica immediately interrupted the tense silence, bringing up her most recent academic competition she was in. That was one thing Lance could always count on, Veronica being there for him. His older siblings had their own lives and families, and while some of them were a part of the Mcclain household still, they had no idea what was going on, much like his own mother. Lance wasn’t even sure they would care if they  _ did  _ know. Lance kept his head down, quietly eating for the rest of the meal. He was silently counting down the minutes until he would inevitably be punished. He was always punished.

“Let’s clean up and then go play some board games!” Thanksgiving was his mother’s favorite holiday.

“I’ll clean up, mama. You guys go on ahead.” His mother looked confused while his sister was worriedly glancing at him. His father subtly nodded towards the stairs. “I’m not feeling too great anyway, so I’ll probably head up to bed after.” No one put up too much of a fight and his mother kissed his cheek before ushering the entire table into the family room.

His father cleared his throat. “I have a few things for work I need to get done tonight but then I’ll join you in a minute.” After kissing his wife on the cheek, Raphael headed upstairs to his office. Lance knew he was waiting for him. Shakily, he placed all the food in containers and wiped down the massive table. 

Lance took a deep breath and walked up the stairs to his father’s office. Lance knew he would be waiting there and wasn’t too inclined to keep him waiting long. This office was a place that commonly entered his nightmares. 

The door was open, his father sitting behind his desk. “Close the door behind you Lance. Wouldn’t want anyone to have to hear what a disappointment you are.” Lance kept his eyes glued to the floor as he quietly shut the door. “Shirt off.” Lance froze.  _ No no no no no.  _ “Now, Lance.”

He nodded and began to unbutton his light blue shirt. Lance tried to steady his hands as he neatly set his shirt on the desk. Raphael gestured for Lance to lean over the desk. Lance squeezed his eyes closed, willing his trembling to go away. His mind was foggy, caught up in memories. This office, a scared 16 year old boy, a belt, and scars that would never heal. 

Raphael pulled his belt off, wrapping one end around his hand. “I’ve tried to be patient with you son.” The stinging pain hit his shoulder first. “But obviously you haven’t learned your lesson.” Two more hits struck him causing an involuntary whimper. Lance bit his lip hard, trying not to show weakness. “You will not,” Lance was pretty sure he was bleeding now, “act as if homosexuality is okay.” The next hit almost made him lose his grip on the wood. “You will not talk back to me.” Raphael kept talking, but Lance stopped listening. Blinded from the pain, he found it hard to focus on anything. Eventually the hits stopped coming and Lance dropped to the floor, exhausted. 

“Get off my floor before you ruin it,  _ puto _ .” Lance let out a whimper as Raphael pulled him to his feet. “You are never going to play on that team again. I expect you to quit before school starts again.” Lance’s heart dropped.  _ No.  _ Basketball is the one thing Lance is good at, the one thing he ever makes people proud of. “Am I clear, boy?” 

Lance nodded. Raphael shoved him to the door and into the hall. All Lance wanted to do was sleep. He couldn’t though, the blood would stain the sheets. His mother didn’t deserve to see that.  _ Shower.  _ Lance thanked all the gods he could think of for the fact that he had his own en suite. 

He stumbled into his room, entering the bathroom slowly. The water he’d turned on was uncomfortably warm but Lance didn’t care. He just needed to get clean. Too exhausted to be bothered, Lance sat on the shower floor, with his pants and socks still on.

He wanted to cry, to scream, to be upset but he was just numb. He could feel his eyes stinging but didn’t try to rub it away. He just stared and cried and waited for the water to get cold. 

\---

“Lance? Are you in here?” Veronica’s voice was quiet and distant, probably coming from his room. Lance didn’t respond, but the shower was still running over him and he hoped she would get the hint. There was a knock on the door.  _ There it is.  _ “Lance I’m going to come in now.”

Lance hadn’t bothered to lock the door or even close the shower curtain. He was sure he looked terrible but he trusted Veronica. He stared at the wall, refusing to look at her as she walked in. “Hey Vee.”

“Lance? Did papa do this?” He nodded.  _ No point in denying it. _ “I’m going to fucking kill that monster.”

“Don’t bother.” Lance’s voice scared him, it was so cold. “It was my own fault. Shouldn’t have provoked him.” Veronica shut off the water, grabbing a towel. She put it through his hair and gently patted at his back. Lance was still crying.

“I’ll be right back okay?” Lance nodded again, too exhausted for a proper reply. Lance finally looked up at her when she returned, holding a dry pair of his sweatpants. “I’ll help you stand and then leave so you can change, okay? You’ll get sick if you stay in wet clothes.”

Veronica grabbed his arm, gently pulling him to his feet. She handed him his clothes and walked out into his room. Lance slowly changed, biting his raw lip to keep from crying out. 

“I’m good now, Vee,” Lance called. “You can come back in now.” Lance flopped onto the toilet lid, he’d had enough standing to last a lifetime. 

Veronica walked back into the space, bringing the stool from his room to sit on. “Is the first aid kit under the sink still?”

“Yeah, that’s where you left it.” Veronica pulled it out and set to work cleaning him up.

\---

“I’m going to call the cops on him this time, little brother.” Lance was startled out of the silence by her statement. She had been quietly attending to his back for about ten minutes. 

“You know that won’t do any good, Vee. Papa basically owns this town, he can just make it go away. All it will do is make him angry.” They had had this argument many times.

“Then December 17th, Lance.” Lance turned to her, confused. “Our 18th birthday. We get full access to our inheritance then. And I got a job.” Lance was confused where she was going with this. “I’ve been looking at apartments and I think I found one. We’re getting the hell out of here and never coming back.” 

Lance’s eyes started to water again. “What? We can’t just leave, Vee.” She grabbed his arm gently as he tried to process what she was saying. 

“Yes we can and we are, little brother. Papa is a fucking monster and I can’t sit here and watch this anymore.”  _ Why is she doing this?  _ Lance gently put his hand over his sister’s. 

“Vee, I can’t make you do this. Not for me. Your life is perfect here.” Lance’s mind was racing. His sister was leaving and she wanted him to come with her.  _ No one ever leaves.  _ While Luis and Marco had their own homes and families, they still practically lived in the family home. Everyone had a room.

“You aren’t making me do anything. We both deserve to be happy, to not have to talk in hushed whispers.” Her gaze was piercing Lance’s heart. “To be with people who we love and who love us.”

Lance sighed, running his other hand through his hair. “Okay, Vee. December 17th.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment or kudos if you liked it! I love to hear from you guys


	8. Due to Personal Reasons I Will No Longer be able to be a Member of this Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two updates in two days?? You should all be very proud of me.

“I regret to inform you that due to personal reasons I will no longer be able to be a member of this team, blah blah blah, camaraderie and respect for you. What the hell is this, Takashi?”

“That, Keith, is the text I received from Lance this morning.” Keith’s arm dropped to his side.  _ No way. _ “I’m actually super worried about him bud. Something is wrong, I can feel it. Try and keep an eye on him if you can.” Keith nodded, eyebrows pulled together in a frown. 

“I can’t believe he quit. This is my fault, Kashi, I’m sorry.” He sat down on the couch, sighing. Shiro sat next to him, rubbing his back.

“This isn’t your fault, Keith. Honestly I think some stuff is going on behind the scenes with him. Just… watch out for him?”

_ What is going on?  _ “Okay, Kashi, I’ll try.”

\---

Keith was yelling his name. Lance knew he was trying to get his attention, which was exactly why he was running as fast as acceptable down the hall. His injuries slowed him down significantly however, and he knew Keith would inevitably catch up to him. 

“Lance! Lance, dude, we need to talk.”  _ Well here goes nothing.  _ Keith’s heavy breathing was very close now. Lance slowed down as he walked up to his locker, hoping his friends would walk up and save him soon. Keith slowed down to match his pace for the last few steps. “Finally. Two questions. First: why the ever-loving fuck did you quit the team? Second: are you limping?”

_ Shit. _ Lance was prepared for the basketball questions but running away was an impromptu decision with frustrating results. He was normally very good at hiding the pain. “I, um,” Lance was scrambling. “I’m just sore. Hit the gym too hard last night.” Keith squinted at him questioningly before deciding to accept his answer. 

“Okay, Mcclain, whatever. What about basketball though? We really need you this year. I, uh, I need you. I’m kinda a shitty captain by myself.” Lance coughed awkwardly. The dark-haired man next to him was crossing his arms and staring, clearly expecting an explanation. 

“I,” Lance tried to stay steady, “have some personal stuff going on and don’t have time to really put my all in basketball right now. I promise it’s nothing to do with you if that’s what you’re worried about, Mullet.” Keith didn’t look impressed.  _ Please I don’t want to quit, Keith. I wouldn’t just leave like that mid-season. _

“You’re lying, Lance. I don’t like liars.” Lance’s heart was racing and his mouth grew dry.  _ Please just let it go. Please.  _

“I’m not. I’m very busy the next month or so and would be overwhelmed. You wouldn’t understand how intense my workload is right now.”  _ Just accept the damn lie, Keith.  _ Lance hoped his silent plea would somehow transfer to Keith.

“Okay, whatever, don’t tell me then,” Keith scoffed. Turning around, he walked away angrily. Lance sighed. It was getting harder to hide his pain. Lance considered long and hard about skipping today but he had a student council meeting he couldn’t miss. Plus skipping school was strictly forbidden and Lance didn’t want his parents to be notified.  _ Eighteen days, Lance, you can do this.  _

The rest of the morning passed rather quickly and Lance was glad to escape to lunch just to hang out with Pidge and Hunk. 

“ _ Lance Mcclain, please report to Coach Shirogane’s office. Lance Mcclain to Coach Shirogane’s office.” _

_ Well shit.  _ Lance paused outside the lunchroom, fully considering ignoring the intercom. He felt his phone buzzing and pulled it out to check. 

_ My office, Lance. Please. _ Lance typed out a quick response and headed towards the locker rooms. 

\---

Lance knocked firmly, determined not to show his nerves.

“Come in, Lance.” Lance took a deep breath, straightened his back, and walked in with a smile. 

“You asked to see me, Coach?” Shiro gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Lance cautiously sat down, careful to keep from leaning back. 

“I brought you here because I would like to know why you are quitting my team? You love basketball and you are arguably one of our best players. Seriously, Lance, I’m not trying to ambush you I just think this deserves more than a cop-out text.” Lance sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today.

“I’m just very overwhelmed right now and don’t have the time to play. The team deserves my full attention and I can’t give that right now. My grades are slipping, I’m insanely behind with student government planning, and I never see my sister anymore.”

Shiro leaned forward, giving Lance his full attention. “Is everything alright at home, Lance?” Lance’s entire body froze.  _ Fuck.  _

“Wh-why do you say that?” Shiro’s eyes softened.  _ Why didn’t I just deny it?? Shit, shit, shit.  _

“Honestly? Because you remind me of Keith five years ago right now. Now I’m going to be blunt and I’m sorry, but are your parents physically hurting you in any way?”  _ Keith? I remind him of Keith?  _

“No,” Lance denied.  _ Liar.  _ “We just don’t have the best relationship right now, but it’s nothing serious.” Shiro caught his eye and held it, obviously looking for a lie. Unfortunately for him, Lance was a phenomenal liar. His expression wasn’t one of pity, but concerned empathy.

“Do you want to talk about it? This is a safe space.” Shiro was calm, almost too calm. 

_ “Close the door so no one has to hear how much of a disappointment you are.”  _ Raphael’s voice rang through Lance’s head. But Lance was just too exhausted to care anymore. “You know what, yeah I do want to talk about it. I’m sick of lying about this. I,” he took a shaky breath, “I’m kinda into guys?”

Shiro’s shocked expression morphed into a slight smile. “I’m proud of you for telling me that, Lance. That can be scary to admit but you never need to feel bad about that here.”

Lance felt his eyes stinging, the tears finally coming. “I’m sorry I’m crying it’s just that, well no one has really said that to me other than Veronica. I’m pretty sure my dad hasn’t smiled like that at me in years.”

Lance could practically hear Shrio’s heart breaking. “Don’t let that keep you from being yourself, Lance. They can’t control you forever. Does this have anything to do with you quitting?”

Lance coughed awkwardly. “I defended you to my grandmother at Thanksgiving, caused a big argument.” Shiro looked, well, horrified to say the least. “She said you shouldn’t be allowed to teach children or sports and my dad agreed and I basically called bullshit in front of everyone.” It was Shiro’s turn to have his eyes water.

“He made you quit? Because of me? Lance, thank you for doing that even though you knew it could end like this.” Shiro sounded so sincere it broke Lance’s heart.  _ He never needs to know what really happened that night. _ Shiro cleared his throat. “There must be some way for you to stay on the team?”

Lance shook his head. “I’m a minor so I can’t really do anything. I won’t be eighteen for another three weeks and I meant what I said. I’m not going to have a ton of time for extra-curriculars. Especially since I’m in so many of them.”

“Well when you do turn eighteen I want you to know there is always a place for you on my team and in my home. We have a guest room that could be yours in a heartbeat.” Lance’s chest was filled with a love and gratitude he didn’t know he possessed.

“Thank you coach, it means a lot. I think I’ll be good though. Veronica has a down-payment for an apartment lined up for the seventeenth, our birthday. “

“I’m consistently impressed by both of your independence. Living on your own at eighteen is difficult.” Shiro’s expression radiated pride and Lance felt… hopeful. Him and Veronica were going to be okay.

“Yeah we get access to our savings account that day and we’re both getting jobs.” Lance smiled. He was still wary of Shiro trying to dig into his personal life too much but he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Shiro stood, signalling for Lance to do the same. “Well, Lance, I should let you return to lunch. My door is always open if you need to talk.” Shiro walked over to the door, holding it open for the young Cuban. 

“Will do coach. And, uh,” Lance shyly smiled, “I’d appreciate if you kept this between us right now. I mean, obviously you can talk to Adam but I would prefer it if you didn’t tell Keith right now.”

Shiro put a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Of course, I would never disrespect your privacy like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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**Author's Note:**

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